Garth & Bev winning viewers around the country
Garth & Bev, an animated series for four to eight year olds, which is produced by Kavaleer Productions, premiered on RTÉ Two's The Den on Monday 22nd November. Since it aired, there has been a significant increase on the average viewership for the slot (approximately 2.50pm to 3pm weekdays) which has previously featured international animation. The highest peak share to date is 33.2% which demonstrates the strong appeal of indigenous animation to young viewers in this country.Over 75 people were employed throughout production of the series and financing was provided by RTÉ, the BBC, BBC Worldwide, The Irish Film Board, BCI and the Irish tax incentive schemes, section 481, in conjunction with co-production partners Copernicus Studios.
Sheila DeCourcy, Commissioning Editor, RTÉ Young Peoples says, "Garth & Bev has been a great success. Supporting Irish animators and actors is hugely important to us and we are delighted that we could help Kavaleer in terms of funding and broadcasting."
Gary Timpson, Managing Director of Kavaleer says, " Garth & Bev is a fine example of how a great idea can flourish if the support & encouragement is there and we are certainly delighted with the response that the series has received since its launch on RTÉ Two's The Den. Garth & Bev will commence on Cbeebies early in 2010, and I would like to take this opportunity thank all the cast & crew for a sterling job, keep watching!"
Andrew Kavanagh, CEO of Kavaleer and Creator of the show added, "It's great to see a show conceived and set in Ireland winning such great audience figures in the timeslot. It proves that home-grown entertainment can hold its own against internationally syndicated kids shows and I hope to see Garth & Bev screening across the Globe over the coming years."